ATLANTA — In sports, there’s a mantra that everyone falls back on when the inevitable injuries strike.
Next man up.
Only one problem for the Atlanta Braves.
“We’re having a hard time finding the next man up,” manager Brian Snitker moaned.
An unrelenting series of breaks, tears and strains have left the six-time reigning NL champions scrambling to cobble together a lineup, putting their hopes of making it back to the postseason in serious jeopardy.
“We’re just going through a really weird time right now,” All-Star pitcher Reynaldo López said through a translator. “It just feels like as soon as someone comes off the IL, someone goes on it. Then someone else comes off and someone else goes on. It’s just really strange, but there’s nothing we can do.”
Slugging third baseman Austin Riley was the latest to go down, his year in jeopardy after getting plunked with a 97 mph fastball. He’ll need six to eight weeks to recover from a fractured right hand, which knocks him out for at least the rest of the regular season.
He’s hardly the first to suffer such a fate:
— NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. sustained a season-ending knee injury in late May, one year after becoming the first 40-70 player (40 homers, 70 stolen bases) in big league history.
— Ace pitcher Spencer Strider, coming off a franchise record for strikeouts in 2023, made it through only two starts this season before a torn elbow ligament ended his campaign.
— Second baseman Ozzie Albies has been sidelined since July 21 after breaking his left wrist while catching a throw on a stolen base. If his recovery goes well, he might be able to return for the final days of the regular season.
— Center fielder Michael Harris II missed two months with a left hamstring injury.
— Key reliever A.J. Minter is done for the season after undergoing surgery for a lingering hip ailment.
— Catcher Sean Murphy, an All Star in 2023, was sidelined for nearly two months after a swing on opening day left him with a strained left oblique muscle.
— Max Fried, another key member of the rotation, spent more than three weeks on the injured list with an inflamed nerve in his left forearm.
— Outfielder Jorge Soler, acquired ahead of the trade deadline to help counter all the injuries, hasn’t started in the past week as he deals with a sore hamstring.
Now, add Riley to the list.
“The guys that we’re losing, you can’t just go out and replace them,” Snitker said. “You’ve gotta hope you can keep fighting…